Ethiopia: a long Christian history
and a bright future

A stork on a church spire. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Photo: Norwegian BS/Dag Smemo (ETH05DJ-46.JPG)

ETHIOPIA — It is estimated that around 65 per cent of Ethiopia’s 63 million inhabitants are Christians. This was one of the first countries in the world to adopt the Christian faith, and it has a rich biblical history and traditions.

Historians estimate that Ethiopia converted to Christianity as early as AD 330, but local tradition suggests that the conversion occurred much earlier, at the time of the Apostles. Parts of the Bible were translated into Ge’ez, an ancient Semitic language which is no longer commonly spoken but is still used in the liturgy of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, in about AD 350, and the whole Bible had been translated by around AD 600. The first Bible Portions in a language of Ethiopia – Ethiopic – were printed in 1513.

With 83 living languages, there is still a long way to go before the Bible is available to all Ethiopians who wish to read it in their mother tongue. Among the large language groups still eagerly awaiting a translation are the two million speakers of Sidama. And with the literacy rate for adults still at less than 50 per cent, the Bible Society of Ethiopia and other organisations involved in Bible distribution must ensure that non-print formats, including the Faith Comes By Hearing program, are also widely available.

A pilgrim outside an Ethiopian Orthodox church. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Photo: Norwegian BS/Dag Smemo (ETH05DJ-117.JPG)

One source of support for the mammoth task of translation and distribution is the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, within which a strong desire to deepen biblical knowledge is boosting demand for Bibles. The Orthodox Church’s involvement takes a number of different forms, including supplying a member of the team translating the Septuagint into Amharic, the main modern language.

Another key challenge for the Bible Society is HIV/AIDS. The HIV/AIDS prevalence rate had reached an estimated 4.4 per cent of the adult population in 2003, and in the same year around 120,000 people died from HIV/AIDS. Following the example of other Bible Societies in the region, the Bible Society has responded by launching the Good Samaritan outreach package.

The associated stories and photos, gathered by UBS photojournalist Dag Smemo, give an insight into the various ways in which God’s Word is being brought to the people of Ethiopia. (WR 396/10 - 09/10.05) [6 photos]